


live for me | mileven

by taylormaide



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, i’m a meme but you should give this a read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-22 19:59:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13771452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylormaide/pseuds/taylormaide
Summary: “i want you to live for me.”*mentions suicide and domestic violence*





	1. the second chance.

i hated my life.

existence itself felt like an endless void swallowing me whole as the time ticked down, closer and closer to my breaking point. closer to when i couldn’t take it anymore.  
the war between life and death seemed as if it would never end. i had even forgotten what i was fighting for anymore, or honestly...why. what did i have to lose? who was cheering me on from the sidelines, waiting, hoping for me to show up at dinner the next night? all i kept asking myself was, “how long are you going to let yourself suffer like this?”  
that question eventually had an answer. and that is where my story begins.

 

the ocean used to be my favorite place in the world. my favorite color was just like it. my favorite thing to do was let my little toes feel the comforting coolness of the salty part of the earth. i would let the gentle breeze the waves created weave through my curls. it would calm me if i was scared. it was like a best friend. but right now it’s screaming every horrible sound at me, daring me to touch it.  
it’s a cold autumn night in Hawkins Indiana, trees display their colors, all blending into a brown haze in the distance. the salty wind burns my cheeks and makes my tired eyes water. cars and buses race across the asphalt behind me, making their way back home after a long day of work. they’re probably going back to their happy lives with loving families waiting for them with open arms. i’m glad i don’t know how that feels. i would miss it too much.  
my cracked hands grip the stone railing, reopeneing the slits where the parched skin split. i feel as if i’m glued into place. i always told myself that when this time came, i wouldn’t be scared to do it. that would make me weak. but i never could have prepared myself for this feeling, seeing death set out before me. i was only a hundred feet from ending everything; sadness, loneliness, my agonizing nightmare called my life. and maybe a little sliver of hope. i shake my head. there is no need for hope now.  
without thinking, i swing one of my fragile legs over the boundary so that half of my body is on the bridge. i gasp in horror as i look down again at the gaping abyss below me. the roaring waters seem to be getting closer now, only seconds before it envelops me in it’s sea of nothingness. my heart feels like it’s going to burst right out of me. the crashing of the violent waves, the sound of tires skidding along black pavement, the unbelievable fact that nobody has even stopped to make sure i was okay. it’s all too much for me.  
all the memories of my life erupt from the brain, my life laid out in front of me. this is when the tears start, the silent cries for one last chance flow from my dry mouth. i am alone. i will always be alone.

“excuse me?”

i almost don’t hear my savior’s soft voice in the battering wind. my breath hitches in my throat. my head shoots up to reveal the unimaginable. my jaw gapes and my eyes go wider than they ever have before.  
it’s a boy. a real boy with a heart and a mind and a soul and really curly hair. and a very, very rusty bike. it’s my life raft on a sinking ship. it’s my second chance.

“can i ask something of you?”

i jerk my head up and down. i feel frozen again.

“could you live for me?”


	2. the beginning.

i hate mcdonald’s.

ever since i started working there i’ve dreaded running around in that burning hot furnace everyone calls a kitchen. nobody is nice there either. i don’t blame them though, there’s nothing in there that would make them happy. we all only come there to work and get money and nothing else. i block out every annoying customer’s voice as i’m flipping...whatever is in that brown circle. they have no idea what they’re eating. gross.

but today, i’ve decided, will be my last day. i have a plan that nobody knows about. who am i kidding, i don’t have anybody to tell my big plans to. it doesn’t bother me though. i hate people anyways. everyone but malarie.

“you done for the day?” malarie asks as she sits down at a table across from me. she props her elbow up on the surface and rests her head in her hand, looking at me intently.

i close my sketchbook and pack it with my pencils in my backpack. “yep,” i reply drearily, but look down at the floor.

“is everything okay?” mal’s tone has changed from her giggly bubbly voice. she sounds concerned.

“yeah, mal,” i start and look her in the eye. “done forever.”

malarie’s eyes widen. “what?! no Jane, you can’t-“

“i’m quitting, mal.” i interrupt. “I’ve got some pretty big plans ahead of me, and they don’t involve this place anymore.”

i can feel the hurt radiating from her body. we’ve been working together for almost a year now and it seems like it’s hitting her pretty hard. 

mal looks up with a facade of defeat. “you’re really leaving me, janie?”

“i have to, i’m sorry.” i extend my arm to touch her’s. “i’ll keep in touch. letters, phone calls, anything. it’s what i have to do, mal.”

i know she understands by the way she smiles. she’s proud of me for taking a big leap of faith. going my own way. being who i’m supposed to be, where i’m supposed to be.

“i’ll miss you, jane.” she pushes a strand of orange hair behind her ear.

“i’ll miss you too.”

i get up from my seat and make my way toward the door. before i push the handle to leave my old job, my old life, everything i’ve ever known, my friend speaks advice to me.

“live long for me, okay?”

a smile crosses my face, a genuine one. only malarie can create those. “i will.”

the bell rings as i exit the crappy restaurant where my old and new life started.


	3. the boy.

i hate walking home.

every day i dread, even more than going to work, my journey home from work. i think that you’ve already assumed i live on a bad part of town, and you are undoubtedly correct. i have to hold tightly to my backpack in case some whacko decides that they want a new accessorie. or a helpless kid.

the exhausting route i trudge is about 3 miles. i’m lucky if i get home before 8 o’clock. needless to say, i get a little bit of leftovers for dinner. and we already don’t get much to start with.

normally it’s pretty cold this time of year, but tonight is a pleasant surprise. i run my hands along the bushes as i pass the bus stop i wish i could afford. the trees are changing colors again, and paired with the watercolor sky, it makes this side of the city look almost beautiful.

the wind starts to pick up as i climb the hill toward the bridge that crosses over the river. it’s the biggest structure of the whole town. most people just overlook it when they drive past in their fancy expensive cars. but they don’t realize that it might just be the prettiest view in Hawkins. i’ve learned to appreciate it.

as i’m pacing along the cool pavement i listen to the crashing of the quick current far below my feet. i look out along the autumnal horizon and slow to a stop. i walk towards the edge of the cement railing. the radiant lilac sky has put me in some sort of a trance. traces of starlights begin to peek out as the lilac slowly turns to a deep purple blanket, covering the city in a white glow. a yellow crescent has been invited to the party, encouraging the stars to shine brighter.

“excuse me?” a meek voice behind me squeaks despite the whirling gusts.

i whip my head around to see who distracted me from my small delight i usually never get. i notice that in my trace i’ve sat myself on top of the railing, turned toward the water. my eyes look up to reveal a face, and a bike, that i could’ve sworn i’ve seen before.

he uses my confused look as acknowledgement. “please don’t do it.”

his words turn on a light in my head and i suddenly realize what he thinks is going on. i also realize who this mysterious boy is.

“you’re...” i start, but don’t know where to finish. he waits patiently for me to finish. “i think you saved my life.”


End file.
